[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO CARE AND HEALTH ACT

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today the House acted on 
an important piece of legislation that strikes at the very heart of our 
democracy--the Equitable Access to Care and Health Act, or EACH Act.
  The individual mandate of the 2010 health care law included a very 
narrow exemption for religious groups, meaning that members of certain 
recognized religious sects could be exempted from the requirement to 
purchase health care or face a penalty of a tax for noncompliance.
  To qualify for the current exemption, individuals must waive all 
public and private insurance benefits, including Social Security and 
Medicare. Individuals who participate in Social Security and Medicare 
but whose religious beliefs cause them to object to medical health care 
are not eligible for the existing exemption.
  The EACH Act, which had bipartisan support, expands this exemption 
for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them 
to object to medical health care provided under such coverage.
  Mr. Speaker, religious freedom must be protected for all Americans. 
Passage of the EACH Act is a step forward in safeguarding this 
fundamental and enduring principle.

                          ____________________